The Kings have announced this season’s series of Legends Nights, honoring important figures from Kings teams past, as well as one important player with a long connection to southern California.
Willie O’Ree, selected at long last for inclusion in the Hockey Hall of Fame, will be honored by the Kings on November 24. O’Ree broke the NHL’s color barrier by being the first black man to play in the league when he suited up for the Boston Bruins on January 18, 1958. He had a lengthy career, including six seasons with the Los Angeles Blades, from the minor league Western Hockey League, and parts of eight years playing in San Diego (seven with the minor WHL Gulls and one with the Pacific Hockey League Hawks).